Museo Pietro Canonica — Attraction in Rome

In this FREE MUSEUM tucked in Villa Borghese, every half hour, you'll be able to visit the private apartment of Pietro Canonica followed by a visit to the "basement" where the ORIGINAL statues of monuments/fountains that you have probably taken pictures in front of, are kept. So, this is what FREE got me today!

Pietro Canonica was born in Moncalieri in 1869. He attended the Accademia Albertina in Turin, in an Italy which had only recently been united into one country and was labouriously engaged in the difficult work of constructing an italian identity. It was in this atmosphere, interwoven with moral and civil obligation, that Pietro Canonica’s aesthetic sense was formed, and he became an attentive and enthusiastic guardian of the italian artistic tradition. He participated in all the most important national and international exhibitions, in Paris, Venice, London, Rome, Brussels and Petersburg. He was a member of the Accademia di San Luca as well as numerous other foreign and italian academies, and in 1929 was elected to the Italian Accademy and in 1950 he became a life Senator. He made an impression in high artistocratic circles and was invited to all the courts of Europe, who competed to commission commemorative works from him, particularly busts and incisive portraits that seemed almost to be breathing, executed with a rare technical skill and authoratative modelling. From Buckingham Palace to the court of the Tsar, innumerable aristocratic faces saw their most secret interiority modelled in marble. The first world war ended this world, which constituted a reference point for the artist, as well as his main market, and he devoted himself to large scale monumental and celebrative works. The war memorials honouring the dead of the first world war in many italian piazzas are the work of Pietro Canonica. In 1922 the artist moved to Rome and obtained from the city the use of the “Fortezzuola”, in the splendid Piazza di Siena, where the artist lived and worked until his death in 1959.

In this FREE MUSEUM tucked in Villa Borghese, every half hour, you'll be able to vist also his private apartment and the "basement" where the ORIGINAL statues of monuments/fountains that you have probably taken pictures in front of, are kept. So, this is what FREE...

Visit the Pietro Canonica Museum! Canonica (1869-1959) was a composer, set designer, artist, and sculptor, who envisioned in bas relief- fantastically so, in minute -even- nearly photographic detail, huge narratives of historic events. In sculpture. Canonica's horses, life-size and greater, are spectacular. View the Canonica marble sculpted portraits: of his family, generals, and Europe's aristocracy. See his working manquettes for massive works. Spend some time in his studio with his tools, visit his apartment, see his single narrow bed, music room with his grand piano, on which he composed opera scores. Tranquility is the feeling this visitor felt even in confronting the souls radiating from Canonica's sculptures. Beauty, strength, power, are to be found from this artist's hands, his sculptoral achievements. Canonica created commemorative tableaus. This viewer was in awe! There is no entry fee, for a contribution to help Rome's museums, the visitor may select from a selection of high-quality printed post cards. A...

II Museo comunale Pietro Canonica, si trova a Villa Borghese, nel Quartiere III (Pinciano), in viale Pietro Canonica 2, nelle vicinanze del Tempio di Antonino e Faustina.

Nel Museo venne inaugurato nel 1961, sono esposte le opere del grande scultore Pietro Canonica (n 1869 m 1959), che in questo luogo aveva il proprio studio e l’abitazione (che ora è una casa-museo) che lo rendono abbastanza unico nel suo genere.

Già nella zona antistante sono presenti due opere suggestive:

Il “Monumento all’umile eroe” rappresenta “Scudela”, il mulo degli alpini che per i suo atti eroici è stato decorato con medaglia d’oro al Valor Militare alla fine della prima guerra mondiale.

Il “Monumento dell’alpino in vedetta” sulla base il motto degli alpini della brigata Aosta:

CA CUSTA LON CA CUSTA, VIVA L’AUSTA 1915 - 1918

(COSTI QUELLO CHE COSTI, VIVA L’AOSTA).

Avanzando si può ammirare la bellissima location del Museo, chiamata la Fortezzala (XVII secolo), poiché per la sua forma assomiglia ad un castello medioevale, specialmente per la caratteristica merlatura.

Entrando si accede ad un bellissimo giardino, di melangoli (aranci amari) con un pozzo antico, con tanto di stemma araldico.

Il Museo si compone di sette sale espositive delle opere del grande artista eseguite per committenti di molti paesi del monte.

Inoltre è presente anche quello che era l’appartamento dell’artista (aperto dal 1988 dopo la morte della seconda moglie dell’artista), anch’esso interessante poiché si possono ammirare gli ambienti arredati di dove abitava, compreso il suo studio con il tavolino del lavoro r i suoi arnesi.

Altro spazio importante è la Sala deposito delle Sculture di Villa Borgese, circa 80 pregevoli opere scultoree, erano per la maggior parte presenti nella Villa e sostituite da copie anche per evitare il danneggiamento frequente dovuto agli atti vandalici, suggestivi i mascheroni e i tritoni originali del XVI secolo, appartenuti alla fontana del Moro a Piazza Navona. Di rilievo anche le statue romane del II e III secolo d.C.

Interessante il Giardino inferiore, dove si trovano altre opere che per dimensioni e minor pregio, non si trovano nella Sala Deposito.

La visita dell'appartamento privato e della Sala deposito, possono essere fatta solo con l'accompagnamento del personale del MUSEO, peraltro molto gentile, circa ogni mezz'ora.

L'ingresso è gratuito, il tempo per la visita di tutto il Museo è di circa un’ora, nel complesso è ben tenuto e vale veramente la pena...